This unusual redbud tree comes from Texas

I have a very unusual redbud tree, which I brought here from Texas in 1992. Everyone who sees this tree cannot believe it and say they have never seen anything like it. The tree came from my sister’s yard in Houston, and she potted a seedling for me. She could not believe it when she saw the photos, because her tree is just a normal redbud tree. Could it be the change in temperature and environment that caused this? Thank you. – Shirley H.

Dear Shirley:

I love your redbud tree. Yes, it is unusual but maybe not as odd as you think.

First of all, you mentioned that it was a seedling from your sister’s tree back in Texas. One thing we do know about growing seedlings of plants is that you can expect to have some variability among all the offspring. While it is easy to say that they are redbuds, it does not mean that they are all exactly alike. Plant breeders comb through thousands of seedlings to see if they can find some differences within the population that warrant preserving. This may be flower color or shape, cold hardiness, disease resistance or even growth habit, which makes it just a bit different from the rest of the seedlings and a characteristic that is worth keeping in future plants.

Two characteristics stood out to me when I looked at your redbud tree. First was the fact that you had flower clusters growing on the main trunk of the tree as well as up and down the stems and branches. The second was the deep rosy pink to magenta color to your flowers, a color much deeper and richer than the typical pink to lavender flowers found on our native redbuds in the Tennessee Valley.

Redbud (Cercis canadensis SER-sis kan-a-DEN-sis) is a prolific, small flowering tree that grows from New Jersey to Florida and west to Texas up into Missouri. It has a very large native range and you can find subtle differences in trees as you drive through its diverse habitat over the eastern part of the country. Climate conditions can affect trees but more so in the area of what we refer to as provenance, or where a tree actually comes from.

This comes into play if you are trying to grow seeds from, say, South Alabama up in New Jersey; they may not make it there. Since your tree hails from Texas, I am inclined to say that you have a variety of redbud known as the Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis) and it differs in a few minor ways from the more common eastern redbud. The first is that the heart-shaped leaves are thicker, have a more leathery texture, are darker green and have undulating margins. Mature trees tend to have a more compact growth habit (your picture shows this) and the flowers tend to be a more of a pink-magenta color. Your flowers tend to be of this shade.

The other characteristic where you are seeing flower clusters growing on the trunk of the plant is a trait that can be found on all types of redbuds; some trees do it while others don’t but it has shown up on all species before. I think it is really neat to see and truly is spectacular when you find a redbud bonsai specimen that exhibits this trait; it’s very artistic.

I hope this helps answer your question. I don’t think it is our climate that has caused this phenomenon, just the variability you find in a seedling population.

Things to do right now:

Place wire supports or cages around newly emerging perennials like peonies to support flowers.

Remove all stakes and guy wires from trees planted last fall.

Try not to till or work garden beds while soil is very wet; this increases compaction.

Harvey Cotten is the chief horticulturist and vice president at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Write or c/o The Huntsville Times, P.O. Box 1487, West Station, Huntsville 35807.